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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472079">When Worlds Collide</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsGayAF/pseuds/ThisIsGayAF'>ThisIsGayAF</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DC - Fandom, MCU, Marvel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Crossover, Depression, IronBat - Freeform, IronDad and SpiderSon, M/M, PTSD, Set after infinity war, batfam, batkids, enemies to reluctant teammates to friends to lovers, slowburn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:14:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26472079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsGayAF/pseuds/ThisIsGayAF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Marvel Universe can't handle getting its wig snapped by Thanos and so decides to mate with the DC universe. Batman and Ironman have an ego dick measuring contest until they fall in love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Bruce Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Thanos Sister Snapped, Tony Wants His son Bacc, Tony Also Gets a Smacc</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This chapter is a short and shit one just to set up the plot and stuff, really not my best work. Have fun and enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony’s heart pounded, yet he still couldn’t feel it over how numb he was. His hands shook, and his lungs felt as though they’d given out hours ago. He couldn’t stop the tears that spilled from his eyes. Every time he thought he couldn’t possibly shed another tear, he’d break all over again. It was cold, but that wasn’t why he was shaking. That wasn’t why his head hurt and why he felt dizzy and not fully there. Getting onto that ship felt wrong, dirty, disgusting. Leaving without <em>him</em>, his protégé, his responsibility, his <em>kid</em>- <em>Peter</em>- felt damning. Maybe he deserved it. He definitely deserved it. It was his fault. Maybe if he’d made sure Peter had gone home, not snuck onto the ship, maybe he’d still be here. Because what if the half of the universe wasn’t random, what if it was supposed to be but Thanos also wanted to punish Tony in some way, and took Peter away by choice, as part of the half. He choked out another sob. He just wanted to go home.</p><p>Even then it took weeks for Carol- Carol? <em>Carol</em>- to find him and Nebula and bring them home. He’d tried to make the best of it, tried not to completely fall apart, taught her some games to distract himself but also to keep her happy. He’s always trying to make everyone else happy. When will he get to be happy? When will it be enough? How many people will he have to lose until he gets his happily ever after? Wasn’t half the universe enough- God, no, it’s never enough. If Tony- God, if he’d been enough, he could’ve done it, could’ve saved everyone. But he isn’t and he couldn’t and everyone else suffered for it, he’s getting what he deserves, and it’s no happy ending. He will never have a happy ending. He just doesn’t deserve one.</p><p>He supposes that’s why he broke off his engagement. He never meant to hurt Pepper, but he doesn’t deserve her. Beautiful, intelligent, strong minded Pepper, whose hair is as red as her passion, whose eyes were always as bright as her mind. But now they were teary and sad and desperate, and it was <em>all Tony’s fault.</em></p><p>“You’ve given this world everything you have-”</p><p>“And half of it’s dead. That’s on me.”</p><p>“Believe it or not, you deserve to be happy. I don’t know just how badly you’ve convinced yourself of this lie in your head, but I won’t fall for it. You’ve sacrificed everything for it, your hope, your joy, your wellbeing, the list just goes on, Tony.”</p><p>“Not everything. I still haven’t given it my life.”</p><p>“Not for lack of trying,” Pepper sighed and held a shaking hand to her mouth for a moment. “You can’t give them your life, Tony. When will it finally be enough?” She choked.</p><p>“I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” He shook slightly, breathing becoming uneven.</p><p>“You shouldn’t have to die before you can hang up your armour. It’s not fair.”</p><p>“It’s my decision.”</p><p>“It was Peter’s too-”</p><p>“Don’t-”</p><p>“Not yours, it wasn’t your fault.” She grabs his arm as he tries to walk away. “Don’t do this.” She repeats.</p><p>“It’s the only way, Pep. If I don’t keep trying to protect this world, if I give up, I might as well have killed half of the universe myself. Even if it means dying.” Tony licks his lips, feeling parched as he looks away. “They need me now more than ever.”</p><p>“I don’t want to bury you.”</p><p>“Then leave.” Pepper looks as though she’s been hit in the stomach, and Tony doesn’t blame her. But he won’t put her through more grief. The words pierced through her like a knife straight to her heart. He watches as she removes her engagement ring and shoves it into Tony’s hands, her own shaking. Her eyes are fiery and firm, even as they weep with sadness.</p><p>“You’re an ass.” She says, and then she’s walking away. Out of his life. Thank God. He’ll never be able to hurt her again. Even though his heart aches and his lungs burn and body trembles, he knows he made the right choice. This is the only way Pepper Potts can ever be happy, ever have the chance at a normal life, if Tony’s not there to ruin it all like a poison. Poison’s the only way to describe it, spreading to each of his loved ones like a sickness, shutting them down one by one. Hell, he almost did it to himself when his arc reactor began to spread the palladium. That’s what he was, toxic. An illness that aims right for people’s hearts, it’s a sad irony, really, if not the worst possible foreshadowing known to man.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The drive to May’s isn’t any better. Not particularly long, but it’s not short either. Not when his thoughts are racing. Happy does his best to reassure him, Tony supposes he knows May better anyway, almost chuckles at the thought. Almost.</p><p>The billionaire walks down the creaky floorboards of the apartment complex and raises his hand to knock on May’s door. He hears shuffling on the other side and soon enough the door is being opened. His heart stops when he sees her. She looks so worn and tired. Before he can even get a word in, a harsh slap meets his face. He can’t blame her. He looks back with sorrow in his eyes, and he knows that she knows. She lets him into the apartment at least. He looks around for a brief moment as May moves towards the couch and sits down, head in her hands.</p><p>“I’m sorry.” It’s all he can say, though he knows it’ll never be enough. He can never make it up to her. She glares at him and scoffs as tears begin falling from her hazel eyes.</p><p>“You were his hero. You were supposed to protect him.” Her voice breaks and she clutches the couch for a minute, before grabbing a few tissues from a box on the coffee table.</p><p>“I know.” He croaks out. There’s a pause.</p><p>“Was he in any pain?” Tony shakes his head, even as the words <em>I don’t feel so good</em> echo in his mind, haunting him.</p><p>“Was he alone?”</p><p>“No, no- I- I was there, I made sure he-” He pauses and looks away to gather himself for a second. “I made sure he wasn’t alone.”</p><p>“Good.” May dabs her eyes with the tissue and lets out a shuddery breath.</p><p>Tony looks towards a shelf full of photos and analyses each one, memorising Peter’s face in each, engraving him into his mind. His eyes, his smile, his youth. His hope. “He was brave.” May looks up at Tony, a small smile gracing her lips.</p><p>“He always was.”</p><p>Tony nodded. “I know. Must’ve gotten it from you.” He looks towards May, but she shakes her head.</p><p>“He must’ve learned it from Ben.” Her smile turns bittersweet as she stands and Tony’s fully aware he’s overstayed his welcome.</p><p>“If you need anything, anything at all-”</p><p>“I don’t want anything from you.”</p><p>Tony smacks his lips together into a thin line and only nods, turning to let himself out without saying another word.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>A few days have passed by when he gets the call, and the others are already waiting for him when he arrives at the compound. They’re sat around a table, each of them looking exhausted. “What’s the sitch?” Tony asks, trying to make the atmosphere a little lighter. Trying to push away his own grief, as usual. He also ignores the look that Steve gives him, still refusing to talk to the blond.</p><p>Nat looks between them for a moment but chooses to ignore the tension for the issue at hand. “Reports are coming in across the globe of earthquakes, tsunamis, changes in radiation levels,” She pulls up a hologram of the affected areas. Hundreds of red dots litter the globe. “Changes in the atmosphere itself. Almost as if it’s warping.” She sighs and looks at him.</p><p>“Meaning?”</p><p>“We don’t know.” Steve butts in, Tony all but rolls his eyes. “We were hoping you would.”</p><p>He sucks in a breath, looking at the hologram as it lights up the room. “Do you think it’s him?” He looks specifically at Banner, who shakes his head and leans forward in his chair. “I could list a thousand possible reasons for what it could be, but each one of them is as crazy as the last.”</p><p>“Crazier than a purple alien who used magic stones to wipe out half of our population, including people we loved? Or did we not fight the same guy? Was I having a fever dream?”</p><p>“Tony-”</p><p>“No, seriously, people are dying and you’re telling me we have no goddamn idea why? We can’t afford to lose any more people, okay? The planet can’t handle it.”</p><p>“Don’t you think we’re trying? Why do you think we’re sat here with you-”</p><p>“Oh, can it, Rogers, last time I checked, out of everyone here you were always the one least likely to negotiate anything.”</p><p>“So, you’re saying it’s my fault?”</p><p>“All I’m saying is, where were you when he first came to New York, huh? Thought this was your home, <em>Brooklyn</em>.”</p><p>“I was protecting Vision.”</p><p>“And look how well that turned out.”</p><p>“Tony,” Nat spits. “That’s not fair and you know it, besides, I was with him too.” He goes quiet, eyeing everyone around the room. It’s only them four, plus the talking raccoon sleeping in the corner, which Tony chooses to ignore for his own sanity more than anything else. Everyone else is either helping those being tormented by the series of natural disasters, or MIA as they deal with their own grief. His eyes fall back onto Banner, who’s looking at the holograms with a stunned expression. “Banner? You got something?”</p><p>“The planet can’t handle it.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“The planet <em>can’t handle it</em>.”</p><p>“Your repeating my own words back to me, bud. Now tell me why.” Tony says, hands flailing in various gestures, urging Banner to elaborate.</p><p>Banner’s out of his seat within a second, marker in hand as he flips over a whiteboard covered in various theories and equations onto a clean side, instead drawing some kind of diagram. “It’s not just the planet that can’t handle the loss of so many people, it’s the whole universe. Thanos didn’t get rid of just people themselves, but even their atoms. The universe doesn’t know how to deal with so much of its molecular structure disappearing so it’s trying to compensate.”</p><p>“Holy shit.” Tony whispers harshly, going over to the board. He grabs his own marker, helping Bruce with some equations and adding his own notes to the diagram.</p><p>“Alright, let’s assume not everyone in here is a genius and with several PHDs. Share your thoughts with the rest of the class, please.” Natasha gestures to herself and Steve, who looks just as lost, as the two scientists continue to theorise back and forth. Hardly any of the words sound like actual English to the other two. Bruce takes it upon himself to turn to them, explaining. “In short, our universe is looking for another universe to merge with to balance out the amount of missing people we have.”</p><p>“I’m sorry- What?”</p><p>“The universe is looking for a friend.”</p><p>“No, no- I got that part,” Nat says. She moves over to them to smack Tony in the arm, then turns to the gibberish on the board. “How can that even happen?”</p><p>Tony and Bruce share a concerned look. “We don’t know, but it’ll be catastrophic for both our universe and the one that ours is the most compatible with.” Bruce answers.</p><p>“No shit.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Okay, so run me through what’s happening again?”</p><p>Batman grunts loudly, eyes narrowing at the monitor. He sneers. “For the last time, Lantern, the theory is that the universe is suffering through a monumental shift. I don’t know how or why; my best guess is either someone in another universe did something that caused this sort of reaction or someone in our universe did it and you didn’t do your job right.”</p><p>“Hey! Don’t blame me, I only guard this sector.” Hal says as he floats in front of the other. “You try guarding the universe and see how easy it is, why don’t you?” He huffs, crossing his arms.</p><p>“My thirteen-year-old is less childish than you.” Batman rolls his eyes as Hal retorts by sticking out his tongue.</p><p>“Any updates?” Bruce turns in his chair at the new voice, watching as Clark hovers in. He lands next to Bruce, peering over the vigilante’s shoulder to look at the screen. “That doesn’t look good.”</p><p>“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Bruce sighs. “No updates so far, just the usual radiation spikes. How’s Arthur doing with the tsunamis?”</p><p>“Him and the other Atlanteans are keeping them at bay, no deaths.”</p><p>
  <em>“Yet.”</em>
</p><p>“Optimistic as ever.” Clark sighs.</p><p>“Earthquakes?”</p><p>“Only so much we’ve been able to do with those. Barry and the other speedsters have been running everywhere trying to evacuate people, Diana’s setting up safety areas across Europe.”</p><p>“And the Lanterns have been helping the rest of the universe, well, save for Hal.” Bruce says, the smirk in his voice only evident to himself and Superman, who suppresses a laugh, but the smile tugging at his lips only does so much to hide his humoured reaction.</p><p>“I don’t have to put up with this!” Hal huffs. “Maybe I will go fight some disasters!”</p><p>“Good. You’d be doing your job.” Hal moves to say something then stops himself, groaning in frustration as he leaves the room.</p><p>“You really gotta stop annoyin’ him.” Clark scolds, though it has no real bite to it.</p><p>“Why? It’s funny.” Bruce does smirk this time.</p><p>“He does his fair share.”</p><p>“When he’s not bothering me.”</p><p>“Attitude like that, I’m surprised you have friends.”</p><p>“And yet, here you are.”</p><p>“Wow, I’m truly flattered. I’m not longer just a ‘colleague’.”</p><p>“Keep that up, and you will be.”</p><p>Clark laughs heartily. “You wish you could get rid of me. What would you do without me?” He says as he moves to the transport beam. “Someone’s gotta babysit your army of children whilst you’re up here brooding.”</p><p>“I am not brooding.”</p><p>“You’re always brooding.”</p><p>Bruce huffs. “They’re doing sufficient work protecting Gotham on their own.” He takes a sip of his coffee which had been left discarded on the desk until now. “Besides, I didn’t leave them alone… Alfred’s there.”</p><p>“Alfred’s always there. Doesn’t count. I think time with Uncle Clark would be good for them, no?”</p><p>Bruce scoffs, chuckling. “Uncle? Now you’re definitely just a colleague.”</p><p>Clark pouts. “Either way, I should get back. Damage control duty.”</p><p>“Better than monitor duty.”</p><p>“Don’t lie, you love monitor duty.” Clark smiles. “See you later.”</p><p>“Goodbye.” Bruce hears the zap of the beta tube behind him, sees the reflection of the flashing light flicker in the window, and sighs. He looks over security footage from across the planet, pausing momentarily on some cameras in Gotham, watching as a group of young vigilantes try and evacuate locals away from a pothole forming in the middle of a street amidst an earthquake. He lets out a breath, heart in his throat as he swallows thickly. Anxiety and worry run through his veins, quick enough that he can feel it in his fingertips. “I hate monitor duty.” He grumbles, wishing he was there, <em>just in case,</em> hoping tonight’s family headcount won’t be different than usual.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Take a shot every time I say the word water or have someone look at something</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I finally update. I'm so sorry.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm tired. I'm gay. But I finally have motivation to write for this fic and did this chapter in a couple hours so it's not the best but it's been months since I updated and if I can get the set up out of the way I can move onto the actual ship content which is what we're all here for, thus I will actually be motivated to write for this more and update more, which is what we all want. Please enjoy regardless of the quality. Finally, I apologise for my lack of cheeriness, like I said, I'm just very, very tired.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It cackles through his headset, shaken and panted between harsh breaths. “Bru- B?” Batman pauses, gaze lingering on one of the screens as he listens. “Dad-” There's a slight crack in the speaker's voice and Bruce's heart drops.</p><p>“Nightwing? What's wrong?” It wasn't like Dick didn't call him dad, at least not when 'working', but he usually saved it for special occasions, or if he wanted something, but sometimes there were moments- Much like this one- where he said it with an uncertainty, with a quiver in his voice, an unsaid cry for help, a scared child reaching out for their parent. A possible last 'I love you' before things went wrong, before there'd be an empty seat at dinner and another grave to add to the Wayne family cemetery. Bruce’s stomach churned at the sound mind racing with worst case scenarios.</p><p>“We- We need-” The feed cuts in and out. Batman switches the cams to Gotham, scanning the city until he sees a band of vigilantes struggling to outrun an ever-growing sinkhole, a few of which are injured, one with what appears to be a broken leg. Nightwing picks Red Robin up, sprinting away from the destruction. A second later and the road they'd been atop of collapses. "We need back up!" Bruce is out of his chair before Dick can even finish the sentence.</p><p>“I'm on my way, find somewhere safe to hunker down until I get there."</p><p>"What about everyone else-"</p><p>“You can't save anyone if you're dead, get to safety. That’s an order.”</p><p>It’s almost like the beta tube can’t get him to Gotham fast enough, and the journey to the rendezvous point is even worse. Watching from space is one thing, but being here, in the belly of the beast as buildings crumble and people scream in agony all around- Bruce breathes in deeply, begging for the anxiety running rampant through his veins to cease and his head to clear as he enters the safehouse. Inside are Robin, Red Robin, Nightwing, and Batgirl. “Where are Signal and Black Bat?” Bruce asks, rushing over and crouching besides Tim, examining his injured leg.</p><p>“They were at a different location. We told them to meet us here, but we don’t know if it went through.” Dick answers. Robin crouches next to Bruce, subtly moving as close to his father as possible. Damian tries to act like he’s not scared, but Bruce notes the slight shake in his son’s hands and reaches out to ruffle his hair, soft reassurance spilling from his lips.</p><p>Tim plays with the holographic monitor on his wrist, attempting to switch between different channels- Cams, news channels, contact with other heroes, etc, all of which are offline, only an error message in their wake. “Comms went down just after Nightwing called you.”</p><p>Bruce nods, grumbling. “And even then, the signal was subpar. Any pain?” He presses down on his son’s leg in different areas gently, testing the waters.</p><p>Tim shakes his head, smiling crookedly. “The usual adrenaline and anxiety are masking it.” Steph hands him a protein bar from one of her pouches. “Thanks.”</p><p>“And the pain meds we gave you.” She grins.</p><p>“And the pain meds.” Tim nods.</p><p>Bruce turns to Dick. “What about Oracle, is she safe?”</p><p>“Yeah, she’s in a bunker somewhere, exact location unknown.”</p><p>A pause, then- “…Hood?”</p><p>“…We haven’t been able to get hold of him.”</p><p>Bruce nods, standing. “Nightwing, take Robin and Red Robin back to the cave. Keep trying to make contact from there, Alfred should already have the backup channels setup. Batgirl, stay with me.” Steph fistbumps but Damian grimaces.</p><p>“Father-”</p><p>“No buts. You’re going home. That’s final.” He leads Batgirl towards the door, looking back at his sons. “Be careful. I’ll see you at home.” He throws his keys towards Dick. “Take the Batmobile and-” He holds up a finger. <em>“Don’t</em> let Damian near the wheel.”</p><p>Dick nods. “Noted.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was difficult to manuver through the streets, too many panicked citizens rushing away from the chaos as well as the fact that half of the roads were no longer roads and any that were still stable had been blocked by fallen buildings. Bruce hoped that the others were having more luck since the Batmobile was designed for all sorts of terrain and obstacles, but only time would tell.</p><p>Him and Steph worked hard to get through the rubble and smoke, freeing as many people as they could, carrying the most injured to safety. The subway tunnels underground had been their best bet and soon enough they had the whole city shouting and screaming over the commotion to flood into the tunnels. Communication might be down technology wise, but nothing’s louder than a group of rowdy Gothamites with hardened hearts that beat for one another and their city pride nonetheless, especially when said city was on its knees. Intimidating and rugged at first; they may be stubborn and quick to anger, mostly because they were far too done with these kinds of disasters happening every other week, but the people of Gotham were good when it came down to it. Most of them, that is.</p><p>Batgirl’s thighs burn as she sprints down one of the crumbling roads, a toddler on her hip. She skids to a halt in front of one of the station entrances and passes the child down to a group of strangers through a makeshift barricade made up of wood and random furniture. She watches momentarily as a group of rough looking, burly men wrap the girl in a blanket and give her some water. Their knuckles are bruised and bloody, faces scratched as they shush the girl and wipe away her tears. Promises leave their lips that they’ll find her parents when all this is over and one of the men pulls her against his chest, cradling her shaking form. Stephanie smiles, hesitating before she runs off again. <em>The people of Gotham were good.</em></p><p>Her running slows to a jog as she finds herself next to Bruce. “You’re sure the tunnels will hold up?”</p><p>“I paid for them to be reinforced a few years ago when Scarecrow tried to use an Earthquake machine to level the city.” He plays with the monitor on his wrist, switching through different blueprints of the district. “In hindsight, I should’ve also asked for them to have emergency doors that shut in case of situations like this.”</p><p>“I’m surprised as you are, you usually prepare for everything.”</p><p>Bruce hides his laugh with a scoff. “Everything apart from doors and you, apparently.”</p><p>“I’ll take that as a compliment.”</p><p>Bruce doesn’t comment but a smile pulls at his lips as he gestures for her to follow him. He starts climbing up a wall made from the wreckage of a skyscraper. “Most of the city have gotten word about the subway plan, all we have to do is-”</p><p>“-Find survivors and direct them to the nearest stations.” Bruce holds out a hand to help the teen up some of the pieces of metal taller than her.</p><p>“Exactly.”</p><p>“So, what we’ve been doing for the last five minutes anyway?”</p><p><em>“Exactly.”</em> He smirks. “Good detective work, Batgirl.”</p><p>“Why thank you, Batman.” She bats his hand away and laughs, pulling herself up to a landing. Stephanie looks over the roads around them, stopping when her eyes land on the bodies of water surrounding Gotham. Her heart sinks. “B?”</p><p>“Yes?” He asks, he’s looking at his monitor again, preoccupied.</p><p>“Are you sure the stations don’t have emergency doors?”</p><p>“I’m sure. Why?” He looks at her now, pausing at the alarmed look she gives him. Something behind her catches his eyes and he lets his gaze trail to the water in Gotham harbour. It’s somehow receding. The breath leaves his lungs for a moment. “They’re going to flood.”</p><p>“Most people are already in the tunnels. Can we get them out quick enough?”</p><p>Bruce takes a deep breath. “We can’t lead them to rooftops because of the quakes-”</p><p>“- And we can’t leave them in the tunnels because of the water. As soon as that tsunami hits, they’ll die-”</p><p>“-We need to find a way to close all the entrances off, that’s the only way. Even if the rooftops were safe, they won’t have time to get to higher ground. If they go back into the streets, they’ll die from the force of the water, but if they don’t seal the exists, they’ll drown.”</p><p>“How long do we have?”</p><p>Bruce’s eyes flick to the water once more then back to her. “A few minutes.” Steph swallows a lump in her throat, nodding. She lets out a shaky breath as Bruce’s hand falls on her shoulder for a moment. He presses his earpiece. “Flash, if you can hear this, I need you to get Aquaman to Gotham as soon as possible. I need as many speedsters as can be spared to bolt up all entrances to Gotham’s subway stations using anything you can find that can withstand the force of a tsunami, preferably metal. Batgirl,” He takes Steph’s other shoulder. “I still need you’re help getting as many people into the tunnels as possible. It’s their best bet.”</p><p>“And if Flash didn’t get the message?”</p><p>“I asked Manhunter, too. Flash <em>will </em>come.”</p><p>“What if he doesn’t make it in time?”</p><p>Bruce bites his lip letting his arms fall from her shoulders. “Then at least the people in the tunnels won’t be alone when the water comes.” He holds out a hand, instead. “And neither will we.” Steph takes it this time.</p><p>They make their way down the wall, back into the streets and towards various survivors, guiding them into the stations. Steph can’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach as she tries to smile at them, feeling as though she’s giving them false hope. Families, children- She freezes. <em>The girl.</em></p><p>Stephanie sprints in the direction of the station she left the toddler in, stumbling as the ground shakes beneath her. Bruce calls after her but she ignores him. She’s almost at the station when she falls, the ground trembling again only much more violently this time. She moves to stand only to freeze at the strange sound coming from behind the wreckage she and Bruce were atop of only minutes before. She watches as a large wave cuts right trough the fallen skyscraper, first with spurts of water coming through odd cracks then turning into a full-blown attack and tidal wave, ripping through the building as it creaks in agony, the sound of rushing water drowning out its cries. Her feet feel as though they’re stuck in tar as the mix of river water and debris heads right for her.</p><p>“Batgirl!” Batman yells as he all but tackles her, wrapping her up in his arms and cape as the water comes crashing down on them, making sure he burdens as much of the tsunami’s force as he can save her from. They’re quickly swept up into the onslaught of liquid and Bruce tries his best to hold onto Stephanie. Something sharp hits Bruce in his side and knocks the air out of his lungs. His instincts take over, adrenaline blocking out the pain and he shuts his eyes tightly, calculating the best course of action. His eyes snap open again soon enough, and he takes in the surroundings. It’s hard to make out anything through the murkiness but he manages to spot an old, thick and tall tree still glued to the ground and kicks through the current towards it. He grips onto one of the submerged branches pulls them towards the temporary sanctuary. He then grabs onto a branch that is above the waves and hoists them both out of the water. The gasp as they emerge and he’s careful not to slam Steph against the wood but makes sure he’s blocking her in between himself and the tree, acting as a barrier between her and anymore wreckage that comes their way. “Climb.” He grits out.</p><p>The younger vigilante is still gasping for air, eyes desperate. She tries to swim past Bruce. “The station-”</p><p>“Batgirl-” He pushes her back gently.</p><p>“There was a girl-” Her voice is hoarse; tears begin to roll down her face. “She needs help-”</p><p><em>“Batgirl-”</em> Bruce repeats, tone slightly more distressed this time.</p><p>“I-I have to- Have to help her-” She tries to push him away again, shaking slightly.</p><p>He wraps his free arm around her and pulls her close. <em>“Stephanie,” </em>He looks down at her, into her pleading electric blues and feels his shoulders sag. “Get in the tree.”</p><p>She nods and pulls away reluctantly, lip quivering as she hoists herself up onto some of the higher branches. She reaches out a hand to help Batman up, too. He takes it gratefully, other hand busy clutching his side. He grunts, looking at the large gash currently spilling blood onto his hand. Stephanie sniffles and takes out a first aid kit, hands shaking as she moves to clean the injury. Bruce sighs. “C’mere.” He takes her hands, stopping her.</p><p>“What about your cut?”</p><p>“I’ve had worse.” He quips but he doesn’t smile. Instead, he pulls Steph into a hug again, hand going to stroke her hair. “You know we can’t save everyone, no matter how hard we try.”</p><p>The teen almost melts into the safety of his arms as she weeps quietly. “I know- It’s just- They were good people...”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Tony’s armour clangs against the metal floor of the ferry loudly. He steadies himself against the sway of the boat, trying not to focus on the crash of the waves against it. He stares up at the coats of paint, the ship having haphazardly been merged into a single vessel from what seems so be two, leaving half of it orange, half of it navy blue. Lightning cracks nearby and thunder echoes in the storm clouds above, rain pelting down from the night sky. The ship groans against the ocean’s onslaught as he struggles to make his way to the cabin. He’s stopped before he can open the door by a flash of light beside the deck, only this time it wasn’t lightning. He sees what he can only describe as a glitch in the Matrix. It flickers then disappears almost as soon as it came but not before what looks like a metal beams falls through it and into the water. At least he knows why the boat has such a poor paint job, he thinks as he throws open the door. He ends up falling inside rather than walking due to a particularly large shove from the waves. He manages to steady himself before he hits the floor, however.</p><p>The lights flicker and the people inside the ferry are gripping onto the side railings, some crying loudly, others crying quietly, some just looking weirdly tired with the situation. Everyone except for two people in the centre who seem like they’re trying to calm the passengers down. Tony stares at them as they turn to him. One is dressed in all black with a mask aside from a utility belt and outline of a bat on their chest in yellow, the other is in fully yellow armour and a helmet, also with a bat symbol on their chest, only their accessories were in black. At least they could colour code.</p><p>Tony holds up his hands, eyeing the two warily even as he addresses the passengers. “Don’t worry everyone, I’m here to help.”</p><p>“Who the fuck are you?” A man on the blue side of the ferry asks with thick Jersey accent.</p><p>Tony stops, eyebrows furrowing. He gestures to himself. “I’m- I’m Iron Man.”</p><p>“Iron who?”</p><p>“Iron Man!” A woman on the orange side shouts. “You don’t know <em>Tony Stark?”</em></p><p>“Should I know a Tony Stank?”</p><p><em>“Stark,”</em> She grumbles. “The playboy billionaire?”</p><p>“Only one I know is Brucie Wayne, never heard of no Stark. And I don’t need some prissy billionaire saving me, the batkids are plenty good.”</p><p>“Bat<em>kids?”</em> Tony asks stunned, looking at the two in the centre. Sure enough, they don’t seem to be tall enough to be adults and Tony’s heart drops. <em>What is it with teenagers and trying to save ferries?</em></p><p>The teen in yellow holds his hands up too. “If we’re going to help you, we need you to get along. We can’t do anything if we’re too distracted by your arguing.”</p><p>The Jersey man nods but the woman scoffs. “How are two kids gonna help us?”</p><p>The teen goes to reply but another wave crashes against the boat before he can. It’s much larger than any of the previous ones, stronger too, and soon it’s tipping the ferry onto its axis. The teen in black grabs onto the other and a nearby bench which they end up hanging from. One of the other men from the blue side slips, falling through the room and onto one of the windows on the orange side, where his head smacks the glass of a window, and he yelps loudly. Tony hovers in the air, moving with the boat and catches another person whose hand slips from the railing just in time.</p><p>The lights flicker out again and they’re left in the darkness as the metal around them groans and the boat capsizes, screams and loud thuds fill the room alongside the sound of water pressing against the doors and windows, begging to be let in. Tony lands on the orange wall of the vessel as it begins to sink, bringing up his comms as he sets down the passenger he caught. “It’s Stark- I need back up in the harbour. I repeat, we need back up in New York harbour.” He’s met with static and his stomach knots when he realises the lines are down. <em>Backup wasn’t coming.</em></p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“I know I can’t promise it’ll be okay, but I’ve got you.” Bruce whispers to Stephanie. She makes a choking sound at the words and he grits his teeth. He hates when he doesn’t know how to console his kids. Loss and grief are usually the worst, especially if you blame yourself for failing because that also adds guilt to the mix. He can’t count all the times he’s had to console the others after disasters like this, can’t count all the late nights he’s been kept up from his own guilt either.</p><p>Bruce silences his dull thoughts; he can’t focus on guilt right now. Their own safety was his new priority. He analyses the currents below as well as their surroundings, looking for anywhere safer to move to. The water shows no sign of slowing down. He looks up at some of the buildings around them that are still standing, his hand ghosting over where his grapple sits on his waist. He could move them onto one of the rooftops, but he’d have to see if Stephanie was ready to move. If she was grieving to the point where she wasn’t able to focus, it could endanger them both if he were to mauver them somewhere higher, especially with himself injured. He’d have to wait until she stopped crying at least. He pulls a bottle of water out of his belt and gently shifts the teen, so she isn’t leaning on him and offers her the bottle. “You should drink something.”</p><p>“Water is the last thing I want right now.” She chuckles darkly but takes it anyway.</p><p>Bruce extracts a small antiseptic wipe from his belt as she takes a few sips and dabs it gently against a cut she has on her jaw. “Are you sure you don’t have any major injuries? Shock and adrenaline can mask pain.”</p><p>“I know, you’ve only told me a hundred times.” She wipes her eyes. Swallowing thickly, she tries to smile at him but her mouth twitches and her eyes water some more.</p><p>Bruce’s heart clenches tightly and cups her face, resting his forehead against hers. “We’ll get through this, we always do.”</p><p>“If you say so, B.”</p><p>They both turn when they hear a distorted crackling behind them. There’s a large rupture in the middle of the air, as if it’s tearing apart time and space itself. A figure comes falling through the rupture, plummeting into the water. It takes him a few seconds to emerge. When he does, he looks around in panic as he struggles to fight against the current he’s found himself in. His eyes lock onto Stephanie’s and she stares him down for what must only be a millisecond or so. Batgirl dives in after him before Batman can stop her, not for lack of trying that is, but he’s only met with his own hissing and a harsh reminder of his wound. The vigilante latches herself onto the stranger then pulls out her grapple and shoots it into the wood, rewinding the cord so that it pulls the two towards the tree. The stranger, a well-built blond man in an extremely patriotic getup, grabs Batgirl, pushing her onto one of the branches before climbing up himself. He collapses against the trunk panting heavily, water dripping from his golden strands and trickling down his face. His lip is busted, and his face is smeared with the remnants of dirt only temporarily cleaned off by the river. He holds out his hand for Batgirl to shake. “Thank you- I don’t know what just happened, but I think I owe you my life, ma’am.”</p><p>Stephanie shakes it politely, smiling at Bruce crookedly. “That’s at least one person we saved.”</p><p><em>“You saved.”</em> He corrects. “Though please avoid jumping into lethal water ever again.”</p><p>“You know by now I don’t listen to you that well.”</p><p>Bruce groans, half in irritated agreement, and half because of his wound. Steph migrates back over to Bruce’s branch. “<em>’Had worse’</em> my ass.” She says, using air quotes as she grabs the first aid kit, squatting down to clean the gash once again.</p><p>“Language.” Bruce grunts and the other man scolds though it holds no venom. Bruce eyes him for a moment making the man shift uncomfortably. He offers his hand to Bruce next.</p><p>“Steve Rogers, sir. You may know me as Captain America.”</p><p>“I don’t.” Bruce takes his hand, frowning. “Batman.”</p><p>“That a codename?”</p><p>“It’s the one you’re getting.”</p><p>“Okay…” Steve turns his head upwards. “It’s day.”</p><p>“It is. Was it night in your universe?”</p><p>“My uni-” Steve looks at him confused but then recognition flashes through his eyes. “Right, yes, Tony and Bruce said something about worlds colliding?”</p><p>“I had the same theory.” The vigilante scowls. “The worlds are doing one hell of a job of it.”</p><p>“That they are.”</p><p>“So,” Batman leans forward. “What happened on your end that’s causing all this?”</p><p>Steve’s lips thin into a line. “Thanos happened.”</p><p>“Thanos?”</p><p>“Thanos is a…Man who used these things called infinity stones, stones that created my universe, to wipe out half of every lifeform in the entire galaxy. To my knowledge, he committed a mass genocide to avoid mass extinction through hunger, poverty, etcetera.”</p><p>“That’s seems majorly counterproductive,” Steph interjects. “And all just to what? End extinction made by world hunger? Has he never heard of farms? Or why not double the amount of resource with that much power instead of just<em> killing</em> everyone?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Steve’s hands fall into his lap. “All I know is that we failed. We tried to stop him, and we couldn’t. And your universe is paying the price now, too.”</p><p>“You can’t blame yourself for the actions of another person. You just have to pick yourself up and keep trying, even if it hurts. Especially if it hurts.” Batman says.</p><p>Stephanie finishes stitching up Bruce’s wound and turns to the other blond. “I know what you’re going through. We tried too.” She gestures to the water sorrowfully. “You can’t save everyone.”</p><p>“But like your dad said, you saved me.” Steve offers her a comforting smile.</p><p>“He’s not my dad.” She smirks, shoving Bruce playfully.</p><p>“Oh, sorry. You just seemed…”</p><p>“I’m not her father legally.” Bruce huffs as he packs up the medical supplies.</p><p>“He likes to think he is.” Steph chuckles.</p><p>“You’re at my house enough, you eat my food, spend my money, act as a sister to the others. I have the papers ready.”</p><p>“I actually don’t doubt that.”</p><p>“You and Signal are the only ones I haven’t been able to legally obtain.”</p><p>“Sounds like a you problem.” Batman huffs again at her comment, grumbling. Batgirl opens her mouth to say something else, but the words die in the throat when the water in the street ripples strangely, catching her off guard. She nudges Bruce gently and he turns to watch it too. The turbid liquid looks as though it’s being drained through a plug in the middle of the street whilst the water around the whirlpool shrinks back, being pulled towards the harbour. Eventually, the water level lowers until they see Mera controlling the waves in the centre.</p><p>Steve gapes. “I don’t suppose you have papers for her too?”</p><p>“She’s a colleague.” Bruce mutters.</p><p>“So, she’s on our side?”</p><p>“You’d already be six feet under the water if she wasn’t.”</p><p>“Noted.”</p><p>A singular wave makes its way towards them, atop of it is Aquaman, who is swinging his trident. He smiles at Batman apologetically. “Sorry we’re late.” The wave gradually gets smaller until he stops just in front of three. “We got your message. I couldn’t stop the water from flooding some of the streets, but a few of the speedsters managed to get here in time. The stations are fine, your people are safe.” Batgirl jumps to her feet at the news, making a relieved sound.</p><p>Batman pats her shoulder as he stands. “You say that like I’m their king.”</p><p>Arthur raises a brow. “Could’ve fooled me, Mr Prince of-” He stops himself when he sees Steve. <em>“You know what.”</em></p><p>“I feel like that title falls to my sons now.”</p><p>“Which makes you a king.” Arthur grins. He would bonk Batman on the head with his trident, but he knew better than to wake up a choose death.  “Mera and I will clean up your water problem, but then we have to leave the rest to you.”</p><p>Bruce nods in understanding. “Duty calls.”</p><p>“As Kal-El says, duty never stops calling,” Arthur chuckles. “We’ll be back if we have time to spare.” He then turns on his heel, gliding away on a new wave. The water follows him until the streets are finally empty again.</p><p>Steph quickly climbs down the various branches then darts towards the station. Cap turns to Batman, who’s also making his own way to the ground. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but who was that?”</p><p>“Aquaman, he’s the King of Atlantis. The woman in the water was his wife, Mera, Queen of Atlantis respectfully.”</p><p>Steve pauses his own descent. “Atlantis? As in the underwater city?” He drops onto the pavement. The vigilante nods making Steve sigh. “You know what? Can’t say that’s the most surprising thing I’ve heard. You’d think I’d be used to all this by now.”</p><p>“If you plan on staying in Gotham, which I <em>don’t </em>recommend, you’ll be used to it in a day.”</p><p>“Can’t be that bad. I went head-to-head with a giant purple alien few weeks ago alongside an army made up of a sentient robot, a few superpowered beings, a God, a racoon, and a tree.”</p><p>“Sounds like a Wednesday in here.”</p><p>“Okay, hit me with your weirdest.”</p><p>“If I had a week, I couldn’t name them all.”</p><p>Stephanie comes back before Steve can ask anything more. “They’re okay!”</p><p>“Are you?” Bruce comes to a stop in front of her.</p><p>“I’m better now.” She smiles crookedly, wiping her eyes then pokes his arm. “But we should get <em>you</em> to the cave, Agent A will want to take a closer look at your side.”</p><p>“Cave?” Steve looks at them strangely. “You live in a <em>cave?”</em></p><p>Steph shrugs. “Duh, we’re <em>bats.” </em>The way she smiles at him makes him think she’s pulling his leg, but he can’t be sure.</p><p>“The cave can wait, we have to be here in case anything else happens.” Batman says.</p><p>“Right, <em>duty calls.” </em>She grins cheekily, amused at repeating his own words back to him.</p><p>“I could help?” Steve suggests. “I know you don’t have any reason to trust me, but if it’s any consolation, I once helped clean up New York city after an alien invasion. So, you could say I have experience.”</p><p>Batman visibly grits his teeth before sighing. “I don’t like the idea of strangers in my city but I’m not in a position where I can complain about an extra set of hands.”</p><p>Steve smiles. “Great. Where do we start?”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Something, or <em>someone,</em> seemingly glows in the darkness and the lights come back on which is at least <em>something.</em> Tony looks up to see water leaking in from the doors and shoots into the air, using his repulsors to melt the metal. It wouldn’t stop it completely, but it’d buy them some time. He looks back down to see the masked teenagers from before tending to some of the wounded passengers. <em>Huh.</em></p><p>He drops back onto the grounds. “Hey, kids, when help arrives, you two should get out firs-” Tony falls when the boat begins to movie again, only this time it’s like it’s being hoisted up. He looks out one of the windows and, sure enough, there’s a figure out there pushing the boat but it’s still dark. They don’t light up at all. He furrows his eyebrows; <em>he could’ve sworn Danvers glowed-</em></p><p>His breath catches in his throat as the realisation dawns on him.<em> That wasn’t Danvers.</em></p><p>Tony mentally runs through the list of people he knows with that much physical strength, mind coming up empty. Nada, zilch, none of the people he knew off could do that without some kind of giveaway as to who they were, meaning they were likely from the alternate earth. He sighs shakily, at least they appeared to be friendly.</p><p>The teenagers grin when they look out the window. “You reckon he’ll takes us out for food after all this?”</p><p>“Maybe.”</p><p>“I could really go for a Batburger right now.” The girl nods in agreement but her gaze glues itself onto Tony as though she’s sizing him up. She elbows the other gently then nods at the older man and the boy’s gaze locks onto him, too. “Think he’s a threat?”</p><p>She tilts her head before shaking it. “Ally.” She points to where the gaps on the doors had been melted. “He helped us.”</p><p>The teen nods, stepping over some of the passengers. “The name’s Signal,” He nods his head at the other teen. “She’s Black Bat. You’re called Iron Man?”</p><p>Tony nods, sceptical. “Aren’t you a little young to be saving a ferry full of people?”</p><p>“Not our first ferry ride gone wrong. Besides, we originally came to investigate background radiation levels that kept changing. Before we knew it, the day changed to night in a matter of seconds and the ferry that <em>was </em>navy blue, is now half orange and half of its passengers have been replaced. If we’d known we would be caught in a storm, we would’ve brought equipment meant for a rescue like this.”</p><p>“Look- Kid, where are your parents?”</p><p>Signal’s lips thin into a line. “That’s none of your business.”</p><p>Tony pauses, not missing how the teen’s shoulders tense. “Hey- I didn’t mean anything bad by that. Have you- Have you at least got like a- Er- Bat? Adult? Who looks out for you?”</p><p>“That’d be Batman. I’m his protégé- But like I said, <em>it’s none of your business.”</em></p><p>Tony goes to speak but stops himself when he feels the boat tilting. Everyone quickly moves, carefully shifting from wall and back onto the floor as the boat is steadily pushed back into an upright position. Not long after, there’s the sound of someone dropping onto the deck and footsteps approaching the door. A red beam cuts through the wall surrounding the entrance until it falls flat with a bang. Leftover sea water seeps into the room from the deck.</p><p>A man steps inside, clad in red and blue, an ‘S’ on his chest. Tony studies the suit, seeing no weapons on him. He eyes what’s left of the door way, analyses the burns left on the metal. “Is everyone alright?” The man asks. Murmurs fill the cabin, with some people nodding, some grumbling, others grinning widely looking seconds away from clapping. His eyes fall onto the teens and soften. “What about you two?”</p><p>“We’re fine Uncle Supes.”</p><p>“Good. I think your dad would’ve killed me if I let anything happen to either of you.” He walks over to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “When this is over, I’ll take you all to Batburger, my treat.” The kids beam at him and he turns to Tony. “Thanks for the help but we can take it from here.”</p><p>“I’m sorry- I don’t get this, you’re asking two<em> teenagers </em>to help you over another adult?”</p><p>“I assure you, they’re more than qualified and I don’t know where you stand- No offence, Mr- Uh- Stark? Was it?”</p><p>“How did you-?”</p><p>“Super-hearing.” He grins, tapping his ear.  “I heard your call for backup.”</p><p>“And the door?”</p><p><em>‘Supes’</em> looks behind him in confusion then lets out a soft ‘ah’ and turns back. “Heat vision.” His eyes glow red to prove his point momentarily. It’d be unsettling as shit if it weren’t matched with a gleaming, almost blinding smile. “Like I said, we can handle it from here on out.”</p><p>Tony steps forward, watching the other’s eyebrows knit together. “I think I’ll stay.”</p><p>“Okay…?” His eyes flick to one of the windows behind Tony and he frowns. “What the-” The ship jolts and Tony stumbles, only able to balance himself when Supes grabs his elbow gently, ensuring he doesn’t fall. He yanks his arm away, giving a pointed look to the other hero but it doesn’t last when he realises how much brighter the room is. His eyes dart around until they land on the doorway. It’s suddenly day.</p><p>Tony hastily makes his way onto the deck, looking across the ocean, eyes falling onto a city he doesn’t recognise. He looks at the other side of the bay and sees another city he doesn’t know. Finally, he looks at the back of the boat to see another glitch, larger than the one before. The ferry is driving innocently out of the rapture. Another portal or <em>whatever it is</em> opens to the left, and another ferry comes sailing out. It matches the one he’s on, blue and orange only its colours are on the opposite sides. At least that answers one question.</p><p>The glitch only grows, a single crack travelling up and up until it reaches the sky and then it stops. Its sides are unstable, zapping wildly in multiple different colours, light flashing. Spits of rain from his dimension fall onto the deck on the far end of the ship, out of place under this dimension’s bright sun. The sky itself begins to flicker, going from day to night, night to day, dark to light and repeating over and over again. Tony braces himself on the side of the boat, overwhelmed by what he was seeing. Two universes fighting for dominance above him. The ocean below jostles viciously practically tossing around the people on the ship. This was <em>not </em>going to be fun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know Duke can't glow or turn lights on or off but this is my fic dammit and I decide the canon here. He has light related powers and I headcanon that boy can light up like a glowstick so here we are</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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